This invention relates to a device adapted for automatically cleaning a male urinal, and more particularly to an automatic cleaner for a male urinal and which can be used in the state attached on an existing flush valve portion.
As conventional automatic cleaners for male urinals, there is known an automatic cleaner disclosed in the Japanese Utility Model Application No. 154070/1987. In this automatic cleaner, a pyroelectric sensor is used to detect proximity of a human body to cause a switch circuit to be turned ON to allow an infrared ray sensor or a ultrasonic sensor to be operative to detect that human body and carry out cleaning. In the case of the pyroelectric sensor, however, only a change in the quantity of far infrared rays, i.e., movement of the human body can be detected. For this reason, there was the problem that when a human being stands still in front of the urinal, the switch circuit is turned OFF so that a current to the infrared ray sensor or the ultrasonic sensor is stopped, thus failing to carry out cleaning. In such an automatic cleaner, there was the problem that even if an output of the pyroelectric sensor is held by a hold circuit or a timer circuit, the infrared ray sensor or the ultrasonic sensor may be stopped for a time period during which any person urinates, or the infrared ray sensor or the ultrasonic sensor may be unnecessarily operative after any person has urinated and flushed water, resulting in waste of power.
Some automatic cleaners have a pre-cleaning function to carry out cleaning before the human being urinates. However, there was the problem that pre-cleaning is carried out as human being only passes in front of the urinal, so cleaning water is wasted. Moreover, there are instances where a device having pre-cleaning function is unnecessary. Accordingly, it is necessary to select whether or not pre-cleaning should be carried out. However, conventional devices had no such selective function. It is to be noted that pre-cleaning is carried out in order to allow the urinal to be wet in advance before use so that no stain or dirt is attached. Accordingly, while pre-cleaning is unnecessary in the case where the urinal is wet before use because of continuous use, since it is impossible to properly use such a pre-cleaning function in certain circumstances, cleaning water was wastefully or uselessly consumed.
Further, in the case where men stand in row in front of the urinal, radiated or emitted infrared rays were continuously reflected. As a result, such a state was detected as if one man continues to use the urinal. Thus, there were instances where the urinal failed to be cleaned even after respective persons had used the urinal.
Further, in the case of confirming whether or not a newly installed automatic cleaner operates normally, a person must stand in front of the urinal in the prior art, resulting in consumed time.
Furthermore, automatic cleaners generally use a battery as a power supply, and one cannot therefore know when the battery should be exchanged. Accordingly, there were instances where the state where the battery has run down may be continued, or a battery runs down in a time period during which the push-button is pushed down, so cleaning water continues to flow.
In addition, there is a time lag until cleaning water is caused to automatically flow after one has used the urinal. For this reason, there were instances where the user cannot recognize that automatic cleaning is carried out.
Meanwhile, the reason why the pyroelectric sensor is used is to save energy. Namely, in order to allow infrared ray sensors or ultrasonic sensors having a large current consumption to be operative only for a fixed time from the time point when human body becomes close to such sensor (urinal) or away therefrom, it is detected by a pyroelectric sensor having a small current consumption that the human body becomes close to such sensor or away therefrom. However, a power supply for driving the pyroelectric sensor itself is required. Since automatic cleaners are used at places related to water such as laboratory, there are instances where no plug socket of AC 100 volts is provided by taking safety into consideration. In view of this, a battery is generally used as a power supply for pyroelectric sensor, but use of such battery is inconvenient in that exchange thereof is required.
As described above, conventional automatic cleaners involved many problems relating to saving of resources and saving of energy.